The Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani has said that the issue of local governments being under the control of the state cannot be a hindrance to development at the grassroots level.
He posited that the issue of development in the local governments and at the grassroots had to do with the priority of the leadership of the third tier government.
Making the clarification and the position of the State Assembly known while speaking to aviation correspondents recently at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, the Speaker, said a council chairman had right to prioritise development in his domain, with respect to funds that are available to him.
He said that the state Governor or the Assembly would not stop any council chairman from carrying out grassroots development projects, as is being speculated by protagonists and advocates of local government autonomy.
“You can not take out from state supervision because even at the point where they go for Joint Allocation, most Local governments if you go through the record from various states can not stand on their own. They can not take proper decision that will bring development to the grassrootS.
“So to my mind, they need supervision, and that supervision will not be the type that comeS from the centre, but it should be the supervision that will come from the federating states.
On the planned mopping up of illegal arms in the state by the police, the speaker said such is good, but that it must be done with clear conscience and intention.
He therefore advised the Federal government and the police not to use the issue to witch hunt their perceived enemies, and that such should be done evenly.

Corlins Walter